A list of all of the

Roman dictator A Roman dictator was an extraordinary Roman magistrate, magistrate in the Roman Republic endowed with full authority to resolve some specific problem to which he had been assigned. He received the full powers of the state, subordinating the other ...

s and magistri equitum known from ancient sources. In some cases the names or dates have been inferred by modern historians.

Key to Latin terms and phrases

Roman dictators were usually appointed for a specific purpose, or ''causa'', which limited the scope of their activities. The chief ''causae'' were ''rei gerundae'' (a general purpose, usually to lead an army in the field against a particular enemy), '' clavi figendi'' (an important religious rite involving the driving of a nail into the wall of the

Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus The Temple of Jupiter Optimus Maximus, also known as the Temple of Jupiter Capitolinus ( la, Aedes Iovis Optimi Maximi Capitolini; it, Tempio di Giove Ottimo Massimo; ) was the most important temple in Ancient Rome, located on the Capitoline ...

), and ''comitiorum habendorum'' (the holding of the ''comitia'' to elect

magistrates The term magistrate is used in a variety of systems of governments and laws to refer to a civilian officer who administers the law. In ancient Rome, a '' magistratus'' was one of the highest ranking government officers, and possessed both judici ...

, when the consuls were unable to do so). Other ''causae'' included ''ludorum faciendorum'', holding the ''

Ludi Romani The ''Ludi Romani'' ("Roman Games"; see ''ludi'') was a religious festival in ancient Rome. Usually including multiple ceremonies called ''ludi''. They were held annually starting in 366 BC from September 12 to September 14, later extended to S ...

'' (Roman games), an important religious festival; ''ferarium constituendarum'' (establishing a religious festival in response to serious prodigies); ''seditionis sedandae'' (quelling sedition); and in one remarkable case, ''senatus legendi'' (filling up the ranks of the

Senate A senate is a deliberative assembly, often the upper house or chamber of a bicameral legislature. The name comes from the ancient Roman Senate (Latin: ''Senatus''), so-called as an assembly of the senior (Latin: ''senex'' meaning "the el ...

after the

Battle of Cannae The Battle of Cannae () was a key engagement of the Second Punic War between the Roman Republic and Carthage, fought on 2 August 216 BC near the ancient village of Cannae in Apulia, southeast Italy. The Carthaginians and their allies, led by ...

). The ''causa'' given at the very end of the Republic for the dictatorships of

Sulla Lucius Cornelius Sulla Felix (; 138–78 BC), commonly known as Sulla, was a Roman general and statesman. He won the first large-scale civil war in Roman history and became the first man of the Republic to seize power through force. Sulla had ...

and

Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman people, Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in Caes ...

are completely novel, as the powers granted greatly exceeded those traditionally accorded a Roman dictator. By ''legibus faciendis et rei publicae constituendae causa'', Sulla was empowered to rewrite the laws and revise the constitution of the Roman state; by ''dictator perpetuo rei publicae constituendae causa'', Caesar was appointed dictator in perpetuity, and given the power to revise the constitution. The various ''causae'' may not have been legally distinguished from one another prior to 368 BC, when Publius Manlius Capitolinus was appointed dictator ''seditionis sedandae et rei gerundae causa''. The precise formula of each ''causa'' later reported by ancient historians may only date to Manlius' dictatorship, in which case the ''causae'' attributed to earlier dictators must be later additions.Hartfield, pp. (?).

Other phrases

*''abdicavit'' – abdicated, or resigned. *''mortuus est'' – died in office. *''non iniit'' – not inaugurated. *''occisus est'' – killed, slain. *''sine magistro equitum'' – without a magister equitum. Roman numerals given following a name indicate that the dictator or magister equitum for that year previously held the same magistracy. The ''causae'' listed in the table are based largely on T. R. S. Broughton's ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', reporting those given in ancient sources. For cases in which no ''causa'' is given, ''rei gerundae'' may usually be inferred.

List of dictators and magistri equitum

6th and 5th centuries BC

4th century BC

3rd century BC

1st century BC

Footnotes

References

Bibliography

* ''

Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology The ''Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology'' (1849, originally published 1844 under a slightly different title) is an encyclopedia/biographical dictionary. Edited by William Smith, the dictionary spans three volumes and 3,700 p ...

'', William Smith, ed., Little, Brown and Company, Boston (1849). * Marianne Elizabeth Hartfield, ''The Roman Dictatorship: its Character and Evolution'' (Ph.D. dissertation), University of California, Berkeley (1981). * T. Robert S. Broughton, ''The Magistrates of the Roman Republic'', American Philological Association (1952). *

John Pinsent John Pinsent (2 November 1922 – 3 February 1995 in Liverpool, England) was an English classical scholar, especially in the area of Greek mythology. He founded and edited an academic journal on classical antiquity, the '' Liverpool Classical Mont ...

, ''Military Tribunes and Plebeian Consuls: The Fasti from 444 V to 342 V'', Steiner, Wiesbaden (1975). {{DEFAULTSORT:List of Roman dictators People of the Roman Republic Government of the Roman Republic